Although I have blogged in the past about physicians prescribing medications to themselves and family members, the word is not getting out! (See my previous blog post from March 5, 2012) Therefore, I thought it best to address the issue again.
In the past month, I have handled several cases where physicians have been investigated by the State Medical Board of Ohio for prescribing to family members.
I also recently had the opportunity to lecture to a group of medical students where the question about prescribing to family members was raised. During my lecture, I warned the medical students to be aware that as soon as they are awarded their medical license, they will be inundated with requests from family members to refill prescriptions or, in some cases, to take over their medical care. One student asked me if she could prescribe medications to her child. In response, I urged the medical student to find her child a pediatrician in order to avoid compromising the physician’s professional livelihood.
The Medical Board recently updated its Position Statement to address the parameters of Ohio physicians prescribing to themselves and family members. The Medical Board’s updated Position Statement case be found at: http://med.ohio.gov/Portals/0/DNN/PDF-FOLDERS/Laws-Rules/Position-Statements/Statement-on-Prescribing-Controlled-Substances-to-Oneself-or-a-Family-Member.pdf.
Although there are certain very limited exceptions when a physician in Ohio may prescribe to a family member, it is always BEST to seek qualified independent medical care for yourself and/or your family members. Do not risk a Medical Board investigation into your prescribing practices to yourself or a family member.
As always, if you have any questions about this post or the Ohio Medical Board in general, please feel free to contact Beth Collis at 614-486-3909 or email me at beth@collislaw.com.
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